Aamir Khan's 'PK' To Release In China

Aamir Khan's blockbuster hit PK is expected release in China which has emerged as a major box office earner in recent years rivalling Hollywood and Bollywood.

An agreement for the release of the Chinese version is due to be signed in Beijing in the next three days making it perhaps the first Indian film to get a release in China this year.

There are expectations that Beijing may permit more Indian films considering the improvement in relations, especially on the cultural front between the two countries.

Currently only 34 foreign films are permitted in China every year. Most of that quota is grabbed by top Hollywood films. An agreement for the release of the PK was expected to be signed in Beijing next week.

Aamir is perhaps the most well known of Indian film stars in China in recent years as his previous film 3 Idiots was a massive success in China. The Chinese patrons of the film expect PK to replicate the success of 3 Idiots which resonated well with the audience there.

PK is getting released at a time when India is trying to carve out a bigger space in China's lucrative film industry which raked up USD 4.84 billion in box office revenue last year.

China has built 1,015 cinemas and added 5,397 screens last year, bringing the total number of screens to 23,600. Officials say there is a favourable environment between the two countries as Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and TV, (SAPPRFT) signed an agreement during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India last year to allow joint productions with joint investments.

After that, prominent film production firms of India and China announced their first joint venture to produce a new co-production called Kung Fu Yoga which was expected to feature top films actors like Jackie Chan.